Chair seat fastening clip



Sept. 18, 1962 M. R. COHEN CHAIR SEAT FASTENING CLIP Filed March 29, 1957 INVENTOR.

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Uite States Patented Sept. 18, 1962 3,054,156 C SEAT FASTENING CLIP Morton R. Cohen, 5490 South Shore Drive, Chicago, Ill. Filed Mar. 29, 1957, Ser. No. 649,437 3 Claims. (Cl. 2473) This invention relates generally to fastening devices and more particularly, relates to an improved fastening clip of integral construction for attaching a chair seat on the frame of a chair.

Heretofore, chairs, such as the familiar type employing a tubular metal frame providing horizontally disposed seat support bars, had the chair seat attached on the seat support bars by means of a plurality of fasteners, such as screws or bolts, passed through suitable openings in the support bars into the chair seat. Such means for attaching the chair seat were highly unsatisfactory not only because of the number of screws or bolts required to be used, but also because of the inconvenience often encountered when removing the seat either for replacement or recovering. The screws or bolts had a proclivity for freezing or otherwise making removal of the fasteners extremely difiicult, if not impossible, without damage to the chair seat. It has also been known to provide said horizontal seat support bars with slots and secure spring clips to the seat, but such clips have had a tendency to bend and pull out of said slots.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a fastening clip of the character described for attaching a chair seat which by reason of certain advantageous structural features substantially eliminates the disadvantages hereinabove stated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fasten ing clip of the character described which is of integral structure formed from a flat, metal strip to provide a substantially flat bracket plate for attaching the fastening clip to the bottom wall of the chair seat and a depending spring finger adapted to be removably engaged in a cooperating socket provided in a horizontal seat support bar for locking the chair seat on the chair frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fastening clip of the character described which has protruding, rigid flange or abutment means integral therewith which function to rigidify the installation of the clip in the socket of the seat support bar against lateral displacement, said means adapted to bite into a longitudinal edge of the socket upon installation of the clip.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fastening clip of the character described which is generally L-shaped in configuration, said clip having strengthening Webs along the line of connection of the leg sections thereof to strengthen same and prevent bending of the clip after installed.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof evolves. To contribute to a full understanding of the principles of the invention, a preferred embodiment has been described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawing. It is contemplated that minor variations in the structural features and relation of the several parts of said invention may occur to the skilled artisan without departing from the scope or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a composite perspective view of a chair frame and chair seat having the fastening clip embodying the invention installed thereon, the chair seat being tilted to show the manner of fastening the clips on its bottom surface.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the fastening clip looking toward the exterior surface of the depending spring finger, portions of the chair seat and chair frame being shown in broken outline.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken through the fastening clip in installed condition.

FIG. 4 is a developed view of the fastening clip prior to being bent to its completed form.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken through said clip along the line 55 of FIG. 3 and in the direction indicated.

Referring now to the drawing, the fastening clip embodying the invention has been designated generally by the reference character 20. Represented in FIG. 1 is one type of chair with which the invention is concerned, said chair including a frame 10 illustrated as formed from a continuous length of hollow, tubular metal advantageously bent to provide a leg structure 11, a pair of horizontal, parallel seat support bars 12, and vertically arranged posts 13 to which may be attached a back rest member 14. This will be recognized as a familiar frame design for a dinette-type chair, however, it is contemplated the invention may be employed, as well, with other type frame structures in which horizontal seat support members, such as bars 12, are provided.

A chair seat 15 of familiar construction is illustrated in FIG. 1 poised to be installed on the chair frame 10 sup ported on the bars 12. Each of the bars 12 are provided with sockets 16 in a surface thereof which open upwardly to receive the fastening clips 20. Said slots will be seen elongate and relatively narrow along their extent. The chair seat 15 includes a rigid, bottom panel or wall 17 usually made of wood upon which may be supported suitable padding covered with a fabric or plastic material to form a padded or upholstered chair seat. As seen in FIG. 1, a plurality of fastening clips 20 are installed on the exterior surface of the bottom panel 17, there being a clip 20 for each of the slots 16 provided in the chair seat support bars 12.

Said fastening clip 20 preferably is formed fiom a flat metal strip material of sufficient thickness to afford considerable rigidity. The clip 20 is generally L-shaped in configuration to provide a pair of leg sections 21 and 22 integrally connected by the transverse bend 23. The sec tion 21 is intended to function as a bracket plate for secure ing the clip to the bottom panel 17 and for this purpose, is substantially planar and is provided with a centrally located perforation 24 through which a single screw, such as 25 seen in FIG. 3, may be passed for securing said bracket plate 21 to said panel 17 with the exterior surfaces of said section and bracket plate juxtaposed. To prevent lateral shifting of said screw, a pair of tines or tapered projections 26 are upwardly bent at the free end of said bracket plate 21, one at each corner of said free end, which are capable of biting into the wood panel 17 further to anchor said clip. It will thus be seen that only one fastening screw 25 will be required for rigidy securing the clip 20 on the chair seat.

The second leg section 22 depends from the bracket plate 21 at substantially a right angle and hence, normal to the plane of panel 17 when the clip is attached to the chair seat. Said section 22 has a spring finger designated generally 27 (FIG. 3) which has been struck from a mid.- portion of the section. The spring finger 27 is comprised of a pair of lug segments 28 and 25 the segment 28 being connected to the section 21 spaced inwardly from the free bottom end 30 of said section and the free end 31 of the lug segment 29 extending to the bend 23. The segments 28 and 29 are connected by a transverse bend 32 (FIG. 3) intermediate said ends 30 and 31. Said segments are angularly disposed relative said section 22 so that the bend 32 is located laterally offset from the exterior surface of said section 22 and spaced from the bend 23. It will also be seen from FIG. 3 that said laterally ofiset bend 32 is located on a side of said section 22 opposite to that to which the bend 23 opens.

The longitudinal dimension of a said slot 16 and the width of section 22 are related such that said section 22 may be received in the slot with a tight fit. The distance bend 32 normally is spaced from section 22 is greater than the width of a said slot 16 so that the spring finger 27 is required to be moved to decrease said distance spaced from the section 22 sufficiently to permit clearance for the section 22 into said slot. Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the striking of the finger 27 from section 22 results in a window or space 34 into which the finger would be capable of moving. Such movement is permitted by reason of the somewhat resilient connection of the spring finger to said section 22 at 35 seen in FIG. 3.

As seen in FIG. 2, the opening or window 34 is somewhat wider than the spring-finger 27. This is occasioned by bending back the side edges of said window 34 opposite the side edges of the spring-finger to provide a pair of integral spaced apart flanges 36 best seen in FIG. 5. It will be noted that the end face of each flange 36 is somewhat arcuate or curved and that the flanges protrude from section 22 at a right angle and opposite to the side of said section from which the spring-finger 27 is spaced. Said protruding abutments or flanges 36 integrally connected with said section 22 provide additional means for securely attaching the clip 20 in the socket 16.

As seen in FIG. 1 the number of clips 20 employed will be equal to the number of sockets 16 provided in the seat support bars 12 and each clip is attached to the external surface of panel 17 advantageously located so that same will be aligned with a said socket 16 when the chair seat is to be mounted. To mount the seat, same is poised over the bars 12 with the panel 17 facing said bars and the end 30 of each depending section 22 of a said clip is inserted into a socket. As the lug segment 28 rides against a longitudinal edge 38 of a said socket, the finger 27 will be pressed or moved inwardly into space or window 34 until the bend 32 can clear said edge 38 and once past said edge 38, the spring-finger 27 will move or snap outwardly of the window and return to its normal position. To provide additional bite for the spring-finger to lock section 22 in the socket, end 31 of the lug segment 29 may be bent as at 40 so that end 31 protrudes outwardly of the socket entrance and bend 40 is engaged immediately below said edge 38. In any event, the angularly extending lug segment 29 will prevent inadvertent displacement of the section 22 from a said socket.

At the same time the section 22 is locked in a said socket, the flanges 36 extend sufiiciently outward of section 22 to engage and their edges bite into the opposite longitudinal edge 41 of the socket as seen in FIG. 3. The flanges 36 assist in locking the section 22 in the socket and also bear against said edge 41 to prevent lateral displacement of the clip therein.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a plan view of a stamping 42 from which the clip 20 may be made. Except for bending about the line of scoring 43, which may be provided, to complete the L-shaped configuration of the clip, the clip is just about finished in a single punching operation. There are provided a pair of depressions 44 extending transversely across line 43 which serve as strengthening webs which will impart considerable rigidity along the bend 23 for the leg sections 21 and 22. In addition, the arcuate cut-out 45 located on the line 43 is elongated so that its terminal portions 46 protrude beyond each side of the spring-finger 27. A pair of circular cutouts 47, each of which connect with an extremity of the bend 35 or line of connection of lug segment 28} with section 22 may also be provided to impart some degree of resiliency at said bend 35 so that the finger 27 may move when required. Otherwise, the clip 20 is intended to be rigid and non-resilient and reinforced at the bend 23 by the strengthening webs 44. It will be apparent that the simple manner in which the stamping 42 may be made in a single operation and thereafter bent to final shape of the clip 20 affords a singularly economical cost of manufacture and a structure which may be mass-produced conveniently.

It should be apparent that the fastening clip 20 achieves a very rigid installation for the seat 15 by reason of the spring-finger engaged below an edge of the socket and the flanges bearing against the opposite socket edge. Inadvertent removal or displacement of the clip from the socket is impossible since it is contemplated that substantial force be required to seat the clip in the socket and to remove same. This is achieved by reason of the limited resiliency of the spring-finger 27 occasioned by the type of metal strip from which clip is made and webs 44 so that the sections 21 and 22 will not move one relative to the other. In this connection, it may further be noted from FIG. 3, that when the clip is installed in the socket, the protruding head of the screw 25 bears against the outer surface of bar 12 so that a force exerted downwardly by a seated person will maintain the plate 21 against the panel 17.

It is believed the invention has been described in sufiicient detail to enable the skilled artisan to understand and practice the principles thereof. In construing the claims hereto appended, it is intended they be accorded the widest latitude of interpretation commensurate with the progress over the prior art contributed by the invention.

What it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A fastener comprising a base portion, a leg portion integrally secured to one end of said base portion at substantially right angles thereto, a tongue secured at one end adjacent one end of said base portion remote from said leg portion, said tongue having one portion extending away from the plane of said base portion with the remaining portion thereof extending back toward said base portion and terminating at approximately the jointure point of said base portion and said leg portion, and flange portions integrally secured to said base portion on opposite sides of said tongue, each of said flanges having its free end inwardly spaced from the outer longitudinal edge of said base portion and substantially perpendicular thereto.

2. A fastener in accordance with claim 1 wherein the free end of said leg portion is provided with prongs immediately adjacent each corner for engagement with a support, and said leg portion having an opening adapted to receive a fastener element therein.

3. A fastener in accordance with claim 1 wherein the jointure line of said base portion and said leg portion is provided with integral reinforcing ridges adjacent the opposite ends thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,188,026 Wiley Jan. 23, 1940 2,598,776 Flora June 3, 1952 2,666,968 Bedford Jan. 26, 1954 2,694,443 Cohen Nov. 16, 1954 2,703,604 Becker Mar. 8, 1955 2,704,870 Becker Mar. 29, 1955 2,706,518 Fleischer Apr. 19, 1955 

